Even before visitors are whisked along a ramp leading to the 225,000 square foot working greenhouse, they cannot help but be impressed by the soaring glass ceilings, a moss-covered wall of water, and "living walls" filled with tropical plants and ferns that act as bio-filters, cleaning the air of the Discovery Centre. Not only is this a beautiful complex, but it's designed with a respect for nature. Rainwater flows from the gutters of the roof, from the plant-filled growing trays that roll along the aisles of the greenhouse, and from the indoor ponds and water gardens of the Discovery Centre, traveling along channels leading to a series of outdoor ponds filled with cattails, bulrushes and dolomite. The marsh plants and micro-organisms in the ponds purify the water naturally, recyling it for use in the centre's computerized hydronic cooling system.
In the greenhouse, nature meets high-tech. Watching from an overhead ramp that weaves throughout the facility, visitors are able to marvel at the advanced technology used in the production of 750,000 calla lilies, mini-roses and chrysanthemums. Bobcats and roto-tillers rev up their engines to mix a warehouse-sized room filled with peat moss, Styrofoam and vermiculite. The soilless mix is dumped into a machine that automatically fills pot after pot with just the right amount of growing medium while the staff stands ready to plant each pot with chrysanthemum cuttings. A conveyor belt whisks the potted cuttings to another machine that counts the pots before arranging them onto huge trays where they'll be watered, fed and monitored until they're ready to leave the greenhouse, safely nestled inside cardboard boxes.
Who's keeping track of all of this activity? The Crane with a Brain. Yup, triggered by infrared lights, The Crane with a Brain washes the trays, sends them where they're needed and collects them when they're full of plants, placing them in a climate-controlled room with just the right amount of light, heat and nutrients for optimum growth.
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